My Heart Can't Beat Without You
by Kawaiililkitten
Summary: This is a depressing T/P but very sweet and with a happy ending ;o) [Incomplete]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Akira Toriyama.  
  
AN: This is a prologue to what will hopefully become a nice dramatic T/P romance. I know this part has nothing to do with Trunks or Pan, but I had to introduce it somehome!  
  
**20 years in the past**  
  
::I can't believe I'm lost in the jungle, on an island almost no one knows about:: Videl thought to herself. She sighed. Gohan was supposed to have come with her on this little "vacation" but his job had kept him too occupied to join her. ::Maybe if I fly up I'll be able to find the path again:: Videl deided as she began to rise. When she was over the trees she scanned the forest for the path, but saw nothing except for...a person! She gave a joyful shout before descending a few yards away and walking up to the person, who she now realized was a man.   
  
"Hello, I'm Videl and I seem to be lost." "Obviously" replied the man. "If you are this far away from the main path you must be lost. I am Lutka, come back to my hut and I will feed you before showing you the way back." Videl's stomach rumbled, and she smiled sheepishly. "Thanks" she said with a grin, before following the man back through the forest. Videl was amazed at the man's hut, which was as primitive as possible and made of grass and mud. He ushered her inside and after a few minutes handed her a clay bowl with something in it.  
  
"That is soup made with the Pujo plant. It's a plant I have bred all by myself by crossing different specimens." The man said proudly. Videl took a sip. "This is very good!" She complimented before quickly finishing a bowl, and then two more. She was very hungry. "Thank you again for the food, now if you don't mind, could you show me the way back to the path?" Videl asked. "Certainly." The man replied, as he once again led her through the forest.  
  
  
**2 years and 5 months later (17 years, 7 months in the past.)**   
  
"Oh Videl, I'm so happy!" Gohan cried as he swung his pale wife around. Then he suddenly frowned. "But dear, are you sure you should have the baby? You've been so weak lately, do you think you can handle the pregnancy and everything?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice. "Of course Gohan, I'm stronger than you think." Then she smiled. "And it's going to be a girl, named Pan, after my mother. Is that alright?" "Videl, for you, anything." Gohan replied, kissing her and carrying her up to their bedroom.  
  
  
**7 months later (17 years in the past)**  
  
"Please Mrs. Son, push!" "I-I can't! Gohan!" Videl screamed on the table. Gohan rubbed her hand. "Shh, it's ok sweety. Just a little more." He looked down at his wife. In only 7 months she had become even more ill. She was constantly white as a ghost and cold, and very frail. The doctors didn't know what was wrong. But no matter how weak she was, she refused to terminate the pregnancy. "No matter how weak I am Son Gohan, this baby is strong, she deserves to live." She would say. "Ahhh!" "Wah!" Gohan was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by his wife's scream and a baby's cry. "Congratulations Mr. Son, it's a girl!" The doctor said, winking at him. This doctor had attended Trunks's birth too, so he said nothing of the furry little tail that was attached to the babe. Gohan was handed a bundle wrapped in a pink blanket and he smiled down at her.   
  
He was brought out of his daze by shouts and someone ushering him out of the room. When he peaked in he saw that there was something wrong with Videl. He pounded on the door, for someone to let him back in, but no one paid him any heed. Too nervous to blast the door down, for fear of hurting his wife more, he waited until someone came out to see him. "Mr. Son?" The nurse asked. Gohan nodded. "I'm sorry Mr. Son, she lost too much blood. There was nothing we could do..." the nurse trailed off and gave him a comforting pat, before walking away from the man. Gohan looked down at his daughter, who he noticed looked very much like her mother. "Videl." he whispered. "Pan." he said as a tear slipped down his cheek. Then he began to glow...  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine...yadda yadda blah blah...the song is "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.  
  
AN: Ok, here's the beginning of the T/P part,and a bit foreshadowing of the drama. Enjoy!  
  
AGES: Pan - 17  
Trunks - 19  
  
"Come on Panny...quick!" A handsome lavender haired boy whispered. "Ok, ok!" the girl he was talking to responded, slipping first one leg, than the other over her window ledge. She giggled. "I can't believe I'm sneaking out of my house!" "Shhh!" the boy replied, but too late. A voice came from inside the house. "Pan, is that you?" They heard footsteps coming up stairs. "Come on Trunks!" Pan called, and flew off the ledge, waiting for someone to follow her. Trunks grinned. Panny may be smart, beautiful, and an amazing fighter, but no one could call this practically perfect girl boring. "Hey, speed your ass up!" Pan called as she sped up and flew higher. Trunks grinned again and sped up, catching up with her. "Pan, follow me, I wanna show you this great place." Pan nodded and followed him.  
  
The pair stopped only when they had reached the very top of the cloud layers. From that spot they had a clear view of all the stars. "Just pull up a cloud Pan-chan." Trunks told her, and she sat down on a cloud, still using her energy to keep levitated. "So what's up boxer-boy?" Pan asked. "Well, since it's your birthday, I thought I'd take you up here, and dance with you." Trunks said, pulling an MP3 player out of his pocket, and mini speakers out of a capsule he had just thrown. "Dance?" Pan made a face. "I don't dance Trunks." "You will when you hear this song Panny." Trunks said, as he pressed the play button. He made a slight bow. "M'lady?" Pan made another face, but moved towards him and allowed him to take her in his arms.  
  
Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey  
She acts like summer and walks like rain  
Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey  
Since the return from her stay on the moon  
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey   
Tell me did you sail across the sun  
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded  
And that heaven is overrated   
Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star  
One without a permanent scar  
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there   
  
"Hey this isn't half bad Trunks." Pan said as she leaned her head against his chest. ::Dende I love the way he smells.:: she thought. ::Dende, I love the way this feels.:: he thought. They smiled at eachother.  
  
Now that she's back from that soul vacation  
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey  
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo  
Reminds me that there's time to grow, hey, hey   
Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol' Jane  
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land   
Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet  
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day  
And head back to the Milky Way  
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind  
Was it everything you wanted to find  
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there   
  
The dancing pair was moving slowly together, and slowly floating above their cloud. The wind was making Pan's hair lightly blow around her face, and the stars illuminated her face. "You know Panny, you're really quite beautiful." Pan blushed.  
  
Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken  
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong  
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone conversation  
The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet  
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day  
And head back toward the Milky Way   
  
"Trunks, I'm glad you brought me here." "Me too Pan-chan."  
  
Tell me did you sail across the sun  
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded  
And that heaven is overrated   
Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star  
One without a permanent scar  
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there.  
  
Trunks tilted Pan's head up as he noticed the song coming to a close. He looked deep into her eyes and tentatively kissed her. He pulled away, afraid that she would be unaccepting, but was both pleased and surprised when she pulled his head back towards hers and kissed him passionately. "Happy Birthday Pan-chan." he mumbled before kissing her again.  
  
After awhile, the new couple knew that it was time to go back home. "Thank you Trunks-kun, I had a great time." "Me too Panny." Trunks said with a smile as he recapsulized his speakers and MP3 player. "Come on, let's fly home." Pan nodded and floated off the cloud, Trunks not far behind. As she was flying down she suddenly realized that she had hardly any energy left. ::Oh no, not now!:: She thought, as she began to plummet. "Pan!" Trunks cried as he quickened his pace and caught her. "Pan, are you alright? What was that about?" "Oh thank you Trunks, I'm fine. That's been happening a lot lately. Any slightly prolonged activity that uses up even small amounts of energy seems to drain me completely. Even easy things, like flying, leave me very weak." "Oh, I'm sorry Pan. I'll have mom look that up to find out why, alright? Until then, take it easy." "I will boxer boy." Pan teased.   
  
By now they were back at Pan's house. Trunks set her down on her window ledge. "Goodnight Pan-chan." he said, giving her a quick kiss and a smile. "Good night Trunks." Pan smiled and waved as she climbed back into her room. She made her way over to her bed, and quickly passed out.  



	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I am not Akiro(a?) Toryiama...'nuff said  
  
Ages: Pan - 17  
Trunks - 19  
  
*********  
  
"Pan, wake up, it's already 10 o'clock." Gohan said as he entered his daughter's room. "Pan-chan?" he asked again as he lightly shook her. Still no response. Gohan was getting worried, Pan had never been a heavy sleeper. He sat down on her bed and noticed how pale she looked. ::She's looked that way a lot lately, almost the way Videl did...:: Gohan shook the thought from his head. After all, this was Pan-chan, his 1/4 Saiyan daughter, nothing could harm her. On a whim he raised his ki so a blue aura began to surround him. That did the trick. Pan was up and in a battle stance before Gohan had even blinked. "Whoa! Hey it's about time you woke up honey, you were really out of it!" Gohan said with a smile as he lowered his ki.   
  
"Oh I was? Uh, sorry 'tousan, I had trouble sleeping last night." Pan muttered as an excuse as she relaxed out of her battle stance. ::Maybe he doesn't know where I was last night.:: Pan hoped. ::Yeah right, couldn't sleep, I'll talk to her about sneaking out with Trunks tomorrow, but for now...:: "Well Happy Birthday honey, you're 17 today! And Bulma expects us to be at Capsule Corp. by 3 for your party." ::Kuso! I almost forgot about that party, and I have to dress up and everything!:: Pan thought with disgust. "Ok papa, I'm going to put my skirt and blouse and shoes and go over there now to see if I can help or at least spar with someone." Pan told her father as she headed towards the showers. "Ok honey and I'm going to go shopping for a bit, see you this afternoon." Gohan called after her.  
  
*********  
  
Pan pulled up to Capsule Corp and climbed out of her red capsule car...a gift from her grandfather for her 16th birthday. (AN: Her Grandfather Mr. Satan...he's got the cash!) She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, spotting Vegeta as she entered the kitchen. "Morning Vegeta." Pan greeted the older Saiyan. "Morning brat." Vegeta responded with his customery scowl. "You up for a spar today?" "Of course!" Panny replied with excitement. Vegeta was her second favorite person to spar with...second to Trunks of course. "Let me just change into my training outfit and I'll be right out." Pan headed upstairs to Bra's room.   
  
"Hey Pan! Happy Birthday!" Bra said as Pan entered her room. "Thanks Bra! What's up?" Pan responded as she set down her bag and went into the ajoining bathroom to change "Oh nothing really, just picking out an outfit for your party." Pan scowled as she reentered the bedroom in sweat pants, an old black tank, and her orange bandana. "Grr...yeah I know I have one of those skirt things packed too. Anyway I'm off to spar with your dad, I'll see you in a bit." Pan said as she left quickly. She didn't want to be dragged into looking through Bra's closet. She adored her friend but hated the way she loved clothes.   
  
*********  
  
"Ok brat, let's see what you can do. To start, 50%, with ki blasts, and I won't go Super Saiyan." Pan nodded and crouched low. She growled deep in her throat before lunging at her opponent in a flurry of punches and kicks. Vegeta was managing to block all of her moves, and he smirked to himself. ::Him, the brat is getting better. Much better:: Vegeta added as Pan landed a kick to his right side and then a punch to the jaw. She floated up and hit him with a small ki blast. As the smoke cleared Vegeta smiled up at Pan. "Good brat, now it's my turn."   
  
Vegeta replaced his smirk with a scowl as he let out a battle cry and attacked Pan. Pan blocked as best she could, but the older Saiyan had much more experience and power than her. Several of his punches found their target, but Pan did manage to redirect his ki blast. "How was that Veggie?" Pan taunted. Vegeta growled at the nickname, only the woman could call him that, but he checked his anger knowing just what Pan was trying to do.   
  
"Good job brat, now see if you can hit me as many times as I hit you." Vegeta replied. This was his favorite method of training the brats, switching between offense and defense. This way they could practice both points of view. Pan launched herself at her sensei once again but stopped mid way across the gravity room and fell to the ground, moaning.   
  
Vegeta glared at her and walked over, poking her with his boot. "This is a silly way to try to gain the upperhand brat. I won't fall for it." Pan didn't respond and Vegeta frowned again, this time kneeling down next to her. He noticed for the first time how worn out she was from the light spar. He felt for her ki and noticed it was incredibly low. Momentarily pushing his confusion to the back of his mind, he picked her up carefully and placed her into the regeneration tank in a seperate room, not noticing that the light on the tank never switched to the red that meant there was an injury to heal.  
  
*********  
  
Two hours later, Vegeta returned to the regeneration room. Noticing the light on the tank was green, for healed, Vegeta released Pan from the tank and woke her up.   
  
"Ve-Vegeta?" she asked, opening her eyes. "Yes brat, how do you feel? You passed out on me during sparring." he responded, trying to sound miffed, but Pan could hear the slight concern in his voice.  
  
"I'm...I feel the same." she said with a small shrug as she tried to stand from the chair she was in, but fell back down. "Weak." she added. Vegeta raised an eyebrow. The regen. tank had never not worked before. Saying nothing, he pushed the small "diagnostics" button. Bulma had installed similar buttons on all the equiptment Vegeta used so he wouldn't have to bother her when something went wrong and before he knew what it was. To his surprise the machine responded with another green light, the OK sign. Vegeta couldn't understand why the tank didn't help Pan, unless her problem was not an injury....  
  
  
  
A/N hehe, evil cliffy. Sorry it took me so long to jump back on the bandwagon, but here I am, and I'm singing a song...R and R! 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own it, it's not mine, ee - i - ee - i - o  
  
Ages: Pan - 17  
Trunks - 19  
  
**************  
  
"Well Pan, I'm sorry but there's nothing wrong with your blood samples. Aside from, of course, the Saiyan part of it." Bulma said with a grin. At Vegeta's request she had performed a complete physical on Pan, but as she said, there was nothing she could find wrong.  
  
Pan sighed. "Well, thanks anyway Bulma" she replied dejectedly. She knew as well as Vegeta that something was wrong with her, and she was dying to know what. Bulma caught on quickly to Pan's disappointment. "Pan honey, I know you're looking for answers, but I can't seem to produce any for you. Unless....Oh!" suddenly struck with an idea, Bulma pulled a sheet off of a large piece of equipment in the corner.  
  
"This is a ki-scanner I devised for all you Saiyans, since it's so difficult to understand your illnesses and genetics." Bulma said over her shoulder as she worked the knobs on the machine, which looked a lot like an MRI. "Here, give it a whirl!" Bulma instructed, excited to be trying out her new machine. Nervous, Pan slipped onto the tray, dressed in a hospital gown and was pulled into the machine.  
  
Bent over the computer in the corner, Bulma sat and read the data as it came in. She gasped inwardly as she saw the screen. Red highlighted the outline of Pan's body, a sure sign of an urgent problem. "You're doing just fine, Pan!" she called, but whether she was reassuring Pan or herself she didn't know.   
  
**************  
  
"Thank you for meeting with me Dr. Masaki." Bulma said, a worried expression on her face.   
  
"Ah well, for my old friend and the owner of Capsule Corporation, how could I do anything else?" he replied with a grin and a shrug. Bulma had to grin back. If there was anyone in the world who could help her, it was the young Dr. Masaki, the leading specialist on rare diseases throughout the world.   
  
"Well, I'm glad you decided to help me anyway. Now I'm sure you reviewed everything I sent you?" Bulma had sent the doctor not only the results of her "ki-scan" but also the results of Pan's MRI and blood tests.   
  
"Yes, I did Ms. Briefs and you were very right, this is not something "normal" at all. What your friend has is a very rare illness. A sort of allergic reaction if you will. A permanent allergic reaction. There is no cure for it. Actually I'm surprised she lasted this long. The girl has the same illness her mother died from, the reaction to the Pujo plant. Of course the doctors back then wouldn't have known what it was, but recently we've made some incredible findings regarding the reaction this delicacy has on people. Our government is trying to pull it off the market as we speak but....Ms. Briefs?"   
  
Bulma listened to the doctor. Listened as he rambled on. Listened as he told her that Pan, the little girl who was practically a daughter to her, was condemned to die. "Oh I'm sorry doctor. Yes, Yes of course I was listening. Now what are the treatment options?"  
  
"Basically Ms. Briefs all that you can provide that poor girl with is a nice hospital bed. I imagine we'll be having more cases like hers popping up soon enough, so a specific ward might be formed...Perhaps by you Ms. Briefs?" The doctor felt awful taking advantage of the woman like this, she was clearly upset, but the facilities were necessary and she did have the means.  
  
"Yes! Oh I'd love to help in any way I can! A full ward with research center. I'll have it up and running in a month. I'll need doctors and all that, send them to Capsule Corps to work out the details. I think I should go home now to Pan's family and let them in on this." Bulma said, glad to get her mind off of the more personal effects this new "disease" was causing her, but still knowing she had a duty to perform. She excused herself from Dr. Masaki's office and raced home.  
  
**************  
  
Pan sighed contentedly into Trunks' arms. "Oh Trunks, this is just my absolute favorite movie!" She said with a grin as Atlantis continued to play across the screen.  
  
"I know Pan-chan, that's the only reason I haven't split that DVD in two yet," he pointed out with a grimace as Milo Thatch began to stutter on the television.   
  
Pan giggled, happy to be cuddling up with Trunks, her not quite official boyfriend, and getting her mind off of the mystery of what was wrong with her. As if determined to break her happy moment however, Trunks interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"Pan, have you been feeling well? The other night when you almost collapsed, you really frightened me."   
  
"Oh Trunks. You know me. I've just been working to hard. Hey, I'm a quarter Saiyan after all...completely indestructible!" She reassured with a weak grin. Gods she hated lying.  
  
Trunks seemed to buy it all without hesitation however, and he pulled her even tighter. "I'm glad," he whispered into her ear. "I'd miss you if anything happened to you." Trunks leaned in and brushed his lips against hers in a light kiss, that she was only to happy to respond to. That is...before Bulma stormed into the house.  
  
"Movie off please. Trunks, call the Sons and your father. Everyone needs to hear this." Bulma ordered as she marched through the Den and into the large sitting room, pausing only to shoot Pan a grim, sympathetic look as she passed.   
  
**************  
  
A/N Yay! Answers...finally! Those of you who guessed that Pan and Videl were afflicted with the same thing, you were right! But it was kind of obvious...oh well. I'm about to post the prologue to a new V/B AU so look for that too. READ AND REVIEW!  
  
~*The Kawaii One*~ 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own it, it's not mine, ee - i - ee - i - o  
  
Ages: Pan - 17  
Trunks - 19  
  
**************  
  
"And that's what's wrong with her." Bulma finally finished, completely exhausted with her tale. She looked around her, trying to catch a glimpse of what everyone was feeling.  
  
Vegeta was leaning against the wall, his characteristically apathetic face plastered on, but she noticed he was a bit paler than usual. Trunks' knuckles were white from gripping Pan's hand, his eyes wide with horror. Pan was quietly accepting, probably in denial.   
  
Gohan looked ready to kill, and Chi Chi had fainted half way through the lecture. Goten was trying to revive his mother while Bra sobbed quietly.  
  
"So there's nothing we can do then?" Pan asked, glancing around the room.   
  
Shaking her head sadly, Bulma need not have answered, but she did anyway. "Nothing Pan. I'm sorry. Odds are you have another few years left in you, but they'll be painful as your body slowly begins to rebel and then shut down. I'm going to open up a whole ward of the on site hospital for this. Dr. Masaki said we should expect more patients soon."  
  
"That's it then?" Pan reiterated, still not quite believing her ears. Bulma only nodded.  
  
The young, black haired girl stood, hands shaking. "Thank you Bulma-chan for being honest with me." She turned and left the room at a run, heading to Kami - knows - where, Trunks in close pursuit.   
  
************  
  
"Pan?" Trunks whispered, coming up behind the hunched figure. "Are you ok?"   
  
The figure turned to meet his eyes, her black hair sticking to her wet cheeks. Trunks sharp intake of breath made a hissing noise. How could he not have realized how pale she was getting, or how thin? He kneeled in front of her and reached out a hand to brush aside her hair and wipe away her tears.  
  
"Pan-chan?" He asked again tenderly. The reaction he received surprised him as the small girl flung herself into his arms and began to cry, sobs wracking her body.  
  
"Trunks, I don't want to die! I mean, I'm a…" she paused to half-sob, half-hiccough, then continued "a fighter! I should die in battle! Like Grandpa with Cell or Vegeta-sama with Frieza. Not waste away slowly for years because I let some bacteria or something get to me." Her pain-filled sobs were more bitter now, as if she cursed whatever god had given her this fate.  
"Ssh, Panny, it will be alright. I'll…well I'll be there for you every step of the way you know that. Everyone else too, even Vegeta is concerned. We'll make it better for you. And you still have time, years probably, so for a long time life can continue as it has now. Maybe when the end comes it will be quick. So you'll have a few years in relatively good health…" Trunks paused in his efforts to comfort, unsure of whether he was helping at all. He had had to choke back several lumps in his throat already, and he could just imagine how Pan must feel.  
  
"Pan, we…I'll be there, and it will be ok. I promise you."   
  
The pair sat there for a while, Trunks rocking Pan back and forth slowly while she cried, each scared to death, but too afraid to say it.  
  
********  
  
Several hours later, a tall, extremely hunky purple-haired man made his way through the kitchen door of Capsule Corps, balancing a petite woman in one arm and opening the door with the other. He quietly closed it with his hip, and levitated off the ground, making his way up the stairs, still cradling his dark haired beauty.  
  
As silent as he was trying to be, half-way to his own quarters he heard footsteps and sighed in resignation, turning to meet his father. "Yes 'tousan?" he whispered, fearful of waking Pan.  
  
"She ok?" the man asked with a nod in the direction of Trunks' cherished burden.   
  
"In time…I think she will be" the younger man responded with a sigh. He hadn't added the words "I hope," despite how unsure he was. Vegeta just snorted. "She'll learn. She's strong, the strongest of all you hybrids" he noted with uncharacteristic pride. "Don't worry." With that he turned and left, leaving a rather bewildered Trunks and a very unconscious Pan.  
  
********  
  
Late the next morning, Trunks woke up with an odd ache in his head and feeling particularly cramped. Opening his eyes to discover why he had such little room in his bed (since we all know where the headache came from), he almost fell off in surprise at what he found. There, beside him, and tucked under his arm, was a sleeping Pan-chan. Her dark hair was draped across her bare shoulder (as she still wore the tank top from the previous day), one hand was holding his tightly, and her brows were furrowed in concentration.   
  
Ignoring just how wrong he would have previously found this situation, he snuggled back up to her, after all, with what had happened yesterday he doubted anyone would be overly concerned. He unconsciously caressed her stomach with his thumb…unconsciously that is, until he felt her muscles relax under him and heard her sigh.   
  
A smile tugged at Trunk's lips, despite all the troubling thoughts that were now flooding back to him from the previous night's revelations. He didn't know what they, meaning all the Z-gang, were going to do about this, but he did know that he wasn't leaving her side, not for anything  
And that he was going to have to sleep with her more often.  
  
**********  
  
Weeks passed by and much remained the same. Eventually, Bulma convinced everyone to move onto the Capsule Corps compound. She worked around the clock to get the new hospital wing ready, and a patient waiting list was already forming, with Pan's name at the head.  
  
After much yelling and many tears, Pan and Trunks were allowed to share a bedroom. Gohan warned however that if he felt any strange ki-piques he would kill Trunks. The new couple grumpily assented, happy to take what they could.   
  
Vegeta returned to training Pan, convinced that the stronger she was, the longer she would last. Both Gohan and Trunks were opposed to this, but together Pan and Vegeta fought them off.   
  
Pan…that poor girl was taking the total and complete brunt of all of this, and didn't know who to turn to. Trunks understood and listened but, she didn't want to strain him more than necessary. She was afraid for her life, and that was a difficult sort of pain to want to share with anyone. It seemed however that Vegeta was right. She was strong. Quite strong. Already she had become resigned to her fate and was determined not to let it slow her down until she was literally incapacitated. She was, after all, Saiyan. Death was bound to visit her earlier than usual. Besides, maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt. That's what she feared the most.  
  
**********  
  
  
::No, no, please…not yet!:: Pan whimpered in her sleep, tossing the blankets and flipping on to her back. ::I can't, it isn't time yet!:: she tossed again, this time landing a heel in the shin of her companion, who had, until recently, been sleeping peacefully.  
  
"Oof, hey Pan what are you doing?" Trunks asked, squinting his eyes against the sunrise beginning to peek through the room.   
  
Pan whimpered again and faced Trunks, who realized that she was sleeping because her eyes were closed and her forehead drenched with sweat. He quickly shook her shoulders, hoping to wake her up, and was greeted by a very surprised gaze.   
  
"Trunks? Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry, I had another nightmare." Trunks frowned. These nightmares were becoming more and more frequent and, not only were they causing both him and Pan-chan to lose sleep, but they were clearly plaguing her throughout the day. Small dark circles were beginning to show their prominence under Pan's features, her skin was even paler than usual, and her normally shiny black hair hung limp.   
  
"Same one?" he asked gruffly, drawing the petite figure closer to him. Pan tucked her head under Trunks' chin and nodded. "Basically. A tall black figure came at me, closing his hand around my throat. Obviously Death…" she broke off, pausing after the word that she now spoke with disdain "…but this time, a white, shining figure was beside him. It held a finger to its mouth to shush me, as if I should be accepting, but I wasn't going to have any of that…then you woke me up."  
  
She snuggled closer to Trunks' well-defined chest, making circles with her finger on his back. He shivered slightly and pulled her even closer, kissing her forehead. "Don't do that Panny, you know I'm ticklish there!" he whispered, lightly nuzzling her ear. She stopped imeadiately, afraid of what would happen if she tickled him again. "Hmph, you're no fun! As soon as someone tickles you, you go into a fit of laughter, turn Super Saiyan, and break the bed!" she scolded lightly, hitting his shoulder for emphasis after each point.   
  
"Well, don't tickle me then" Trunks scolded back "after all, you remember what also happened didn't you?" Pan smirked at the question, then blushed when she remembered exactly what her father had accused Trunks of doing when his ki spiked.   
  
Not that Pan and Trunks were living a completely celibate life. Afterall, they did share a bedroom. Neither of them managed to keep their hands to themselves for long but…they weren't having sex yet. Both of them were too afraid of Gohan's reaction, so they made do with what they could and were none the worse for the wear.   
  
This line of thinking was beginning to encourage Pan and she grinned wickedly as she moved her hand lower to where Trunks' tail should have been. Her plan was foiled by Trunks rolling on top of her and pinning down her hands. "Sorry Pan-chan, you know I'm never one to stop you but you haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in two weeks, and I'm not going to be the reason that dad kicks your ass in the GR tomorrow morning." So saying he nipped her nose affectionately and rolled back over, spooning the now flustered Pan. She 'hmphed' and crossed her arms, but eventually melted into Trunks' embrace.   
  
"Trunks…what if I…" Pan began, tensing up, but her bedmate interrupted her sentence with a kiss on her shoulder. "Shh, 'Tousan taught me a bit of telepathy. I can guard your dreams for you." The quarter saiyan relaxed again and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.   
  
*******  
  
After a few more weeks, life at Capsule Corp began to slow to a routine. Pan trained with Vegeta every morning, worked with Bulma in the hospital every afternoon, spent her evenings with her parents, and finally, her nights with Trunks.   
  
Pan enjoyed every minute of this day. Vegeta did an excellent job of keeping her mind off of her problems, and working with Bulma led her to realize how lucky she was to be Saiyan and therefore able to fight off the illness so well. Being with her parents was nice, because a lot of the stress in their relationship was disappearing, and nights with Trunks were always like short, wonderful days of their own. There was hardly a person she would rather be with, and Trunks made sure that it stayed that way.  
  
Everything was going great, considering the horrible shadow they all had to live under. That is, until one morning when Pan showed up at the GR suited up in a sports bra and shorts, towel slung over her shoulder. The scene looked normal enough, but what was lacking was Vegeta. The prince jumped down behind Pan, startling her.  
  
"Vegeta-sensei" Pan began, immeadiately falling into the tone she always used when Vegeta trained her "why aren't you in the Gravity Room."  
  
"Well girl, I have decided that training is not having the effect we would like. Instead, we're going to try meditation." Pan gaped at her teacher, mouth open in surprise at his response.  
  
"Training? Not working? But you think training is a remedy for everything!" She exclaimed, glaring at Vegeta in disbelief.   
  
He snorted in response and shook his head. "Not for this…" "But Vegeta…" Pan began to interrupt him, but he turned the tables. "Listen girl, you're getting worse alright? I can feel the difference in your ki. It's not enough for anyone else to notice yet, but the disease is progressing quicker than my Woman had originally believed. So now we try meditation in the hopes that by centering your ki, you can conserve it."  
  
Vegeta's explanation was wasted however, for as soon as Pan heard the words "you're getting worse" she had slumped to the ground in shock. "I'm dying. It's started" she whispered to herself, as Vegeta's black eyes gazed down at her.  
  
************  
  
AN: Yay, a cliffie! Alright people, this chapter is a bit longer, so I hope you appreciate it ^_~   
Only two more chapters to go, so you better R&R if you want to see them at all!  
  
Ja ne!  
Kawaii Me '.' 


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